The Fallout
by Mr.Vaz
Summary: Pinned down under overwhelming opposition, Ashley has only one last wish. For the July contest on Aria's Afterlife.


_"I've got a good feeling about today."_

_"I'd hope so. We've finally caught up to him."_

* * *

She ran.

The sound of weapons fire and electronic stuttering filled the air. With a heavy grunt, she slammed into a crate, ducking low behind the cover. An almighty boom resonated behind her, and another friendly dot on her HUD vanished.

* * *

_"I'll make that bastard pay."_

_"For Eden Prime."_

_"For the 212, and for my grandfather."_

_"Your grandfather? But he wasn't on-"_

_"He was THERE! On Shanxi."_

* * *

She fired.

Her gun bucked in her hands, suppressive fire causing the geth to hesitate. A green salarian ran up to her, peeking over the crate before looking at her.

"How many of us are left?" he asked, ducking back down.

The soldier stole a quick glance over the crate, catching sight of another juggernaut before her shield flared around her.

"Not enough."

* * *

_"How long have you known?"_

_"...Skipper let me see Saren's file after Feros."_

* * *

She cursed.

"Commander, do you read me?"

_"The nuke's almost ready. Get to the rendezvous point."_

A sigh escaped her lips. "Negative, Commander. The geth have got us pinned. We've taken heavy casualties; we'll never make it there in time."

_"Ash-"_

_"Hold tight! We're coming to get you."_

* * *

_"Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"You had your own stuff to think about. Those biotics Kyle took care of, you just shut down after you saw them."_

* * *

She growled.

Another two blips vanished as she tossed a grenade. A trooper stepped around her cover, only to catch a shotgun round from the salarian.

There were only nine of them left.

"Negative, Skipper. Just make sure that nuke goes off. We'll hold them off as long as we can."

* * *

_"Okay... You've got a point. But you know I would've understood, hon."_

_"Shh! What was rule number one?"_

_He chuckled. "No pet names unless we're on shore leave."_

_"Damn straight. Better remember it."_

* * *

She prayed.

Her radio was toast, thanks to an overload blast she hadn't seen coming. They'd seen the dropship pass overhead, heading straight for where he was.

He was a goner if Shepard hadn't listened.

Her shotgun blasted another hopper off a wall nearby, ear-splitting gunfire coming from all sides now. None of them was unscathed; the six that were left all sported at least one gunshot wound apiece. She could see it in their eyes: the fear, the fatigue, the loss of hope.

It was only a matter of time.

Another shot pierced her leg, sending her tumbling to the floor. Immediately after, her shoulder was hit as she raised her pistol. Her breaths became shallower, the cold numbing of medigel not coming.

Ashley could feel herself slipping away, darkness gripping at the edge of her vision. A salarian came to her side, trying to take off one of her armored plates.

She shoved her pistol into his hands.

"Give them hell."

God still gave her hope, but she didn't waste it on herself.

* * *

_"Well, this is it. Don't do anything foolish while I'm gone, Ash."_

_"We'll be fine, LT."_

_"Yeah, I just... Good luck."_

_She waited._

_Ashley took his hand._

_"Kaidan. We're going to be okay."_

_He smiled back._

_"Of course we are."_

* * *

She awoke.

A single white light shone into her eyes, nearly blinding her. Her mind trudged along, feeling sluggish as a voice came from nearby.

"Good, you came around."

Coldness and blue surrounded her, not the warmth and of His kingdom. _I didn't end up there? _Her voice worked faster than her mind. "What happened?"

"You're on the Normandy, Ashley. You took some nasty hits before you fell unconscious." As her mind sharpened, she recognized the motherly voice of the ship's doctor. "We nearly lost you."

"How?"

Chakwas's face appeared in the gloom. "Shepard got to you and the salarians just in time. We barely got all of you aboard before that bomb blew."

But something was off about the woman's face, a shadow behind her glowing smile.

* * *

The timer continued to run, but he didn't dare look at it. Kaidan fired at another geth, pegging its flashlight. As it crumpled, he ducked behind the bomb again.

_I know I haven't said much, but I need you to do me just one favor._

Another trooper got too close, and he Pulled it into the sky. He didn't waste shots on it though, firing at another pair as they emerged from the dropship.

_Please get her out of this. Keep her safe._

His pistol beeped, refusing to fire as a half dozen rounds slammed into his shields. He held out his hand, projecting a barrier in front of the synthetics. A grimace took over his face as over a dozen more shots pinged off the field.

_Don't let her be dictated by her family's history, but let her stand strong on her own._

Gunshots clipped him from the side, nearly making him drop the barrier. The geth flanked him, spreading out as they continued to fire. With a yell, he turned the field into a full biotic bubble, protecting himself and the nuke from their attacks.

_I've seen the good in her. Don't let it go to waste._

They closed in as he fell to one knee by the bomb. His head shrieked in protest as blood flowed from his nose.

_Please, God. I lo-_

* * *

"He didn't make it to the ship."

Her insides filled with lead at the doctor's words, a tear coming to her eye. She huffed, her lungs staggering under the weight. "Wh- Wh-"

Chakwas only shook her head. Nothing the woman could say would've helped anyway. Ashley closed her eyes, the weight of her failure smothering her.

She hadn't prayed hard enough for him.

And now, she was all alone.


End file.
